New Delhi: The Supreme Court has held that not all speech is hate speech and the definition is determined by some particular statement or speech. The observation of the court was while considering the petition seeking action in hate speech cases. “Hatred is the common enemy of all religions. “When hatred is removed from the mind, change can be seen,” said the court.
A bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagaratna pointed out that not everything said by a person is hate speech. Two days earlier, the same bench had stayed proceedings in the case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his 2014 election speech. Taking this case as an example, the court clarified its stance on hate speech.
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The Supreme Court said that since there is no definition of hate speech and the sections of the Indian Penal Code are interpretive measures, the courts should be cautious. The petition was filed by Shaheen Abdullah alleging that the Haryana police did not take action on the speeches against Muslims. The court said that the Hindu Munni had also filed a petition alleging that Muslims and Christians were making hate speeches. The court also stated that all the petitions can be considered together on March 21.
English Summary: “Common Enemy Of All Religions Is Hatred”: Supreme Court On Hate Speech